First of all...Greetings all Jazz/Jass fans. It's nice to have a forum to read about what some of us call "The Truth."

A few words about smooth jazz. You will NEVER convince me that this junk deserves to be called Jazz. On the Don Sebesky album, "I Remember Bill", the last track is Bill Evans speaking about Jazz. He mentions his fear of sameness and heading for the lowest common denominator. I don't know if he was talking about the emerging smooth jazz but he might as well have been. It's easy for purists to dismiss it but even those on the fringe of Jazz should be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake. With the exception of some small market radio stations and pale imitations on satellite, the real music is disappearing. An entire generation is being led to believe Kenny G., Dave Koz, etc. are jazz instead of the elevator crap their alledged music is in actuality.

I was just about to jump all over you for even suggesting that "smooth jazz" is jazz.

I am pleased to find out you were bashing it.

It does have it's place ... played by organ and strings in elevators and anger management classes ... but not on Hammond B3 Organs ... those are reserved for jazz and blues masters.

Nice to have you here.

Ahmm... can you guys name some artists, cuz I am deeeply sorry for being such an ignorant, ut I love chet baker and John Pizzarelli, for isntance.

I know its all about cool jazz, but there is a thing that made me feel unfortable. I link things smoooooth too, and you can tell by the skin of my girl...

Jazz can be cool, and jazz can be smooth, but in the US market "Smooth Jazz" is an entirely different beast. Think Kenny G, David Sanborn, Tom Scott or anyone playing Beatles tunes on a flugelhorn.

Also think of any radio station saying the words "beautiful music" where you can actually hear the quotes.

If you need more info I can find it ... but I don't want to.

hahahahaahahaha
I think I got the point, "smooth" jazz is a pleonasm for Crappy Jazz.

Don Sebesky even arranged the big band for the best JOhn Pizzarelli's album ever, Our Love is Here to stay. By the way its posetd here somewhere.

I think you have the picture.

If not, just imagine you were listening to jazz musicians ...

playing so slowly and mellow that you wished you were dead ...


THERE ... that's "smooth jazz."

Chet Baker, MJQ, Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon..on and on it goes when you're talking about not just Cool Jazz but Elegant Jazz. I forget exactly where I saw it (and I'm glad I did) someone compared Chris Botti to Miles Davis. Botti's not awful but like Miles???? I was fortunate enough to spend time with Maynard Ferguson in the early 70's..acquaintances as opposed to big time friendship. He told me one of his favorite statements was, "Critics write because they can't see or hear." As far as I'm concerned, that's fits todays' "writers" who praise this wall paste.